Monday, November 22, 2010

My View From the Middle

In the middle of life, these are the pointers I look to as the hopefully long descent (better and also hopefully said, "ascent") begins. The following is also good advice for teenagers and younger adults--in fact, for everyone of any age.

1. Enjoy each day and each phase of your life. Look back at different times of your life and notice how fruitless were your worry and anxiety about things that never came to pass, things that actually turned out to be good fortune and not tragedy as initially thought, and how even undeniably bad events were not ameliorated one bit by your anxiety but simply made worse and given wider, premature scope in time.

2. Build relationships that yield peace and joy. Do not waste your time on situations that simply bring darkness and turmoil. You were not made for that. If the relationship or situation yields joy and peace, than that is a good sign of God's will for you. Make that an evaluation to be made between you and God, without the noise of confused, manipulative, or egotistical people who pursue agendas that are not in your best interest. The blind cannot lead you out of the pit. They simply want to pull you in with them. They do not realize that they are in a pit.

3. Never give up. While you breathe, hope. God is full of surprises. Be ready for them, expect them, and look for them. God is good and wants the best for you. Look, look, look.

4. Always be grateful to God and to others. Live the examined life on a daily basis. Find the gifts and note them carefully, purposefully, and punctiliously. The Bible wisely asks God to teach us to number our days. My paraphrase is this: teach us to account for our days and the gifts of each moment and the hints of future gifts (those good surprises) to come. Now, that's the way to "number" your days, each one of them.